Set in 1862, The Aeronauts tells the story of hot air balloon pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) and scientist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) as they set out to break the record of flying highest in the world and research the atmosphere in order to learn more about weather patterns. Their adventure, which takes place primarily in a hot air balloon, faces major turbulence both literally and metaphorically.
The relationship between Amelia and James doesn’t always seem to reflect what each has been through, and they tend to be overly blunt with one another. Not just a pilot, Amelia is foremost a performer, which annoys James and makes his recruitment of her as a collaborator an odd choice. When it’s revealed what Amelia has endured, James’ ambition comes off as insensitive and paints him as rather unlikable. They both have a great deal of baggage, and their efforts to overcome their pasts occasionally turns the exciting voyage into a slow, tense and frustrating slog.
That’s not a bad thing, though. There are great character moments that foster genuine adoration toward Amelia and James. She’s the real star of the movie, however, and Jones does a great job of making her a strong, capable woman who does the unthinkable more than once. While James is essential to the plot, he just isn’t as compelling.
Some of the film’s best character moments come from the intensity of the situation the two find themselves in. Being thousands of feet in the air is no small feat, and even though neither of them seems mortified of heights, it’s clear there’s no room for errors. Part of the film’s overall beauty, the cinematography yields extremely harrowing sights — great for thrills, but likely to ruin the day of anyone who suffers from acrophobia — and from the costumes to the snowflakes and the sky itself, everything is deserving of a second look.
Now playing at Grail Moviehouse
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